"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Points to Ponder ...

"My children may bicker, and I may—almost certainly will—complain. But the bickering and the griping are chaff, and what’s left when the winds of time carry them away are the golden kernels I want to savor..."
--Melissa Wiley

July 05, 2008

The Roads Less Traveled?

It's the third most populous state in the union -- nearly 20 million people -- but it only ranks 27th in land area. You'd think it'd be pretty crowded around here, wouldn't you?

This past week, our family took a road trip across New York State, on a diagonal path extending from the Niagara Escarpment to the New York Basin.

It was a breathtaking ride. Everywhere I looked, I saw lush greenery, rolling hills, picturesque farms nestled among fields of corn, fruit trees, livestock and amber waves of grain. The winding highways were lined with stunning rock formations in one area, and delightful wildflowers and wind-tossed grasses in another. Sure, there were population centers along the way, but for the most part, you had to go out of your way to find them.

Catskills in the rain, southeastern New York State

And I couldn't help but think: Where is the population explosion? Where is the wholesale destruction of the environment? We're supposed to be experiencing some kind of crisis around here, aren't we? I guess I must be pretty naive: I don't see it. I suppose the city dwellers downstate may take a different view; there are certainly some pretty ugly spots as you approach the impressive skylines. But it doesn't take long to get away from them. And the vast majority of New York State is nowhere near them.

A little piece of Americana, right up the road from my house

Remember: This is a physically small state, with an enormous population.

And it still sports some of the most beautiful, nearly untouched, places on earth.

Comments

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Eileen, I bet you passed right by my house!! :-)

I think the problem in upstate NY has less to do with too many people in the countryside as that so many of the little towns in the rural areas are failing and most of the young people seem to be moving away. People from NYC buy summer places out here (where I live), driving up property prices, the City takes water from here but doesn't want to maintain its dams, wants to build dumps here because it can't take care of its garbage... and dairy farms can't make it anymore.

I grew up in Tennessee, but none of the little towns where I grew up look half as depressed as these towns in upstate NY. It's really sad, because it is such a gorgeous area.

Sounds like you are a native New Yorker like myself. This is truly a beautiful state and you are correct; you can travel a long way and a long time without seeing any signs of civilization. My favorite place in the state is home and we live on 300 acres of beautiful and unspoiled land. Maybe those who cry overpopulation and destruction of the planet ought to do a little driving themselves to witness the falsity of their belief.

I'm also a native New Yorker who happens to enjoy learning the stats on population. I've driven many times through our beautiful but nearly empty state (NY is still about 65% forest!) While our state ranks 3rd in population, if you subtracted the approximately 8 million people in NYC, we'd still be 11th or 12th in population. There is plenty of room in the Empire State! Great thoughts on the environment and overpopulation, Eileen!

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We are a Catholic homeschooling family of 7, a blend of step children, bio children and adoptees, making our way to heaven the best way we know how! Here's a record of our journey, with thoughts on anything we care about--mostly homeschooling, faith and finding a way to make it all work for each of us. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your visit!